586 more days of this bullshit?

Maybe I missed a memo or something, but why do we need a presidential campaign that lasts over two fucking years?

I'm politically active and politically involved. I care deeply about the political process and take my responsibilities and freedoms as a member of our Democracy very seriously . . . and even I am already sick to fucking death of this shit.

I believe that these outrageously long cycles are all about money, which is all about corporations and PACs, which leads me to believe that elections are more about perpetuating a Plutocracy than engaging the population in a dialog of ideas. I used to count down the days until November 4, 2008 because it would finally be the end of our long national Bush/Cheney/Neocon nightmare, but now I'm counting down because it will just mean the end of the whole stupid goddamn thing.

Some day, I fear we'll have election cycles that last 3 year and 364 days, and we'll long for those simple times when we only had to listen to this garbage for two years.

Comments

[Gestalt]

I think perhaps we are all thinking inside the box we have been placed in by growing up in a culture which defines itself through mass-media. It's simply assumed that it will cost hundreds of millions of dollars to finance a campaign because a) thats what it has always cost, b) it's what the people inside the magic box in the living room say, and c) that money mostly goes back to the same mass media that perpetuates the idea that it costs hundreds of millions of dollars. Imagine that.

How about this as an alternative, Wil: Instead of the same sort of insipid political grandstanding which we are all so tired of, what if we are all in the process of forming a participatory democracy mediated by two-way network technology? In such a case all political issues are under a continuous referendum by an ongoing rotation of concerned citizenry. No one person has the time or insight to participate all the time, but through the collective consciousness that we create here, we form a force of will which can be interpreted and acted upon.

That is, if anybody pays attention. We have not yet reached any sort of critical mass, but the "bloggers" seem to be taken with less and less derision as time moves forward. There will come a time when the dialogue that takes place in places such as this web page will count for far more than any anachronistic confetti and red-white-blue straw hat campaign fuck fantasy that we are all so used to.

In such a situation we will know exactly what issues are important and who really has a good idea about making progress. We're not quite there yet-- we'll have to endure the death throes of old media first-- but it's coming, as long as we do not lose faith in ourselves.

And, when it does, hundreds of millions of dollars won't be so necessary-- all one will need is a good idea that people are interested in, which is the sort of idealistic vision Americans have always wanted to believe was possible.

[afle22]

Agree with you Wil. I'm a Canadian living in Canada, but that doesn't mean I don't watch CNN on occasion or subscibe to American news magazines/newspapers but I'm seriously thinking about canceling those subscriptions if they don't lay off the political speculation. Sure, some is interesting, but not over and over and over. Same as CNN. War in Iraq. Elections. No other news exists. No other news has existed (except for short bursts) for a few years now.

[Devlyn]

It's the Christmas affect - the season gets longer each time it comes around. Just another reason why I ignore all types of major/popular media completely, unless I specifically want to seek something out. I really don't want to know anything about the candidates until they've done everything horrible they can do and tried to make up for it a million different ways just before the election.

[Kate]

Oh, Amen. I love politics but lately all elections are reaching the fatigue point fairly rapidly. We had a state election here last November, and I was going to scream if I tripped over another politician at a Metro station or saw Michael Steele hug a puppy on TV one more time. It's gotten to be too much, and it totally disengages me from the political process. I feel like I should go out and volunteer for one of the candidates, but the thought of actually doing it makes me cringe.

[speedy marie]

Part of the problem is that this is the first election since 1928 where there hasn't been an incumbant President or Vice President running. This throws the field wide open for both parties, and we've got mass chaos as everyone struggles to get their recognition. Usually it's only one party prepping for the primaries, but with both parties involved, it's getting bigger and bigger, faster and faster.

[thecrumb]

More time = more money.

It's crazy how much money these asinine candidates are raising. I think there should be a fixed amount - each candidate gets X dollars and that's it...

Now where did I put that Operation Mindcrime CD???

[SandieK]

COmpletely off topic to everything youve been blogging about this week, but is there anychance InDigital will do a feature on this anytime soon? Please?

[Caroline]

This is why I finally gave up. I care, in general, but when it gets nuts, I'd rather find something more meaningful to spend my time on. Besides, I've always voted for the guy that lost, conceded, etc. Figures. I vote for the right ones, and they always loose. Because they're good decent people who actually care about what's going on and about doing things with class. Well, and we live in a country where more people are nuts than sane, I guess. I mean, look at who we allowed to take office last time! Are we just going to repeat history here because we can't remember what happened 5 minutes ago? Or because too many people like me just give up?

Anyway, I think it's really sad when, instead of us saying "Vote Democrat" we wind up crying a pathetic "Please, just VOTE! At ALL!" Are all we liberals so, well, liberal, that we're going to just let the R's take this stupid place over for the rest of our lives? I mean, from what I understand, last time around, most of us were so hung over from our pre-election parties that we clean forgot to vote! What's up with that?

We have to get our acts together and not let this Republican nightmare happen again. Or else it seriously just isn't worth bothering with at all, and we can all forget about living the lives we've wanted to in this country. Well, anyway, God bless the Dems who voted last time around. Next time, let's all grab a friend...

[Spartica]

What's really sad is it's all a dog and pony show. Nobody ever tells what they believe, just what they want us to hear. The ridicule, of speculation and rampant uncontested lies, conspiracy theory, and personal attacks stops all who would be good candidates from ever running anymore. I believe thats going to leave the choices for this next election as be afraid and be very afraid. I really am a liberal, I vote for the candididate not the party, I need one good man or woman here. 300 million people surely we got one knowledgeable and wise bastard in the lot. I bet if I held up a map of the Middle East half of these clown candidates couldn't even tell me what country's they're looking at, net alone how to deal with them. They want the clout of the position not the responsibility. I'm atleast one vote responsible for making Clinton and Bush president and one vote respnsible for making Obama a senator. I think they all are moral leaders, just not logical ones, which leads to moronic desicions. I can't believe these people are the best we have. They're definitely no FDR, Truman, Roosevelt or Reagan for that matter. They are certainly not leaders who spend hours pondering the path to righteousness or the ramifications of their actions or inactions, who recognize that the path to a just goal is not always a simple straight shot. One of the biggest things that troubles me about all of the people I've voted for is that they have this boyscout ideology. In a world that doesn't subscribe to those rules, the outcome of there tenure is certain.

[dannyness]

Since some people mentioned revolting...

I used to support banning all guns. That was back when I couldn't imagine a situation in this country where we would have to try to overthrow the government. I'm not saying I'm ready to take up arms, but with all that has happened with the current administration and campaigning I can see a situation where it might be necessary.

[TwistedSelf]

The tone of this post and the content picture on the right just doesn't work for me. You need to put up an angry picture there when you have the hate on in the post.

Just an idea.

[farkfarkfark]

I was thinking about Fred Thompson and I came to the realization that the only person we can allow to be president is the WORST ACTOR IN THE WORLD.
I'm thinking maybe David Caruso.
See... it would be utterly impossible for him to be anything but totally transparent, because he's such a bad actor that we would know when something is amiss.

[opak]

I love the process of picking out the person who will do the least amount of damage and seeing if I am right.

[Steve]

I've always agreed with Douglas Adams: Anyone capable of getting elected president should not be allowed to be president.

Or something to that effect.

[Daveman]

Just don't be surprised if the elections get put on hold. I smell something rotten up and wont breath easy till there actually is an election. Actually even if there is an election - things are so screwed up, they can only get worse WHOEVER ends up President. Lets "Hope" I'm wrong.

[MattGoldberg]

I am praying that this is less a sign of the 24-news networks continual decline and that people are just so tired of Bush's nonsense that they've bumped up the primaries to a ridiculous extent so that we can move on and heal the country (or in the case of the Republican candidates, masturbate while humming the Star Spangled Banner and ignoring the monumental problems that every other half-conscious being seems to notice; then again, they lobbied hard for the Terry Schaivo vote so maybe people with functioning brains aren't their target demographic).

[Marc]

Wil, I hate to be the person to point this out and depress you and everyone else further (me included) but because of leap years occurring every four years like elections, campaigns actually have the potential to go on for a full four years not 3 years and 364 days. Sorry!

[david]

I disagree, Will. The lengthy election process gives America the opportunity to learn as much as possible about the candidates - to observe how they react to situations at home and abroad - how they comport themselves in "gotcha" moments - how they elaborate on their goals - and so on. After all, we're not voting for Prom King or Dog Catcher - we're voting for the President of the United States of America - arguably the most powerful, influential human on the planet, in command of the most powerful military ever created, etc.

The lengthy election cycle helps America to "weed out" the fruits and nuts, and those who can't handle the pressure, and the ones who mean well but just don't have the right "magic" to pull it off.

Believe me - we are better off for having a longer, not a shorter, election process.

[klarson]

i think you are right on, wil. does it not seem like there have been really, REALLY early debates? and ohmigod, we've really yet to hear anything along the lines of actual policy...just everyone blowing themselves for this and that. (yes, i'm frustrated as well.)

what is really revolting is that our primary process basically makes each party essentially eat itself from the inside out...pitting same party candidates against candidates when runoff elections would be in the best interest of everyone.

and as for david's comment above, the lengthy election process didn't help us get the best candidate when W. got into office. TWICE. *shudder*

[passinthru]

It helps if you stop doing news. I'm subscribed to the email lists of candidates that interest me, from any party. I find it very instructive to see what they think their strengths are, and who they see as their core supporters. That tells me more about them than generic talking heads from the networks or blog world.

Original sources. Gotta love skilled teachers. ;o)

[meredith]

I'm starting to wish we had a European system: no set election days. Every so often the government is dissolved, an election is called, and 6 weeks later bam, done.

Of course with the current regime that would mean no election would ever be called ... but the 6-week election cycle is a nice dream to have. Sigh.

[politicalsanity]

I agree with you that it seems to be starting a bit early, but it is also good in that it highlights the amount that the 'media darlings' are out of touch with the rest of America.

The early debates have also shown that the media isn't to be trusted; many of the polls specifically omit bonafide candidates and put in people who have not yet declared their candidacy-- the LA Times/Bloomberg just did a poll that left out Jim Gilmore and Ron Paul, but inserted Fred Thompson and Newt Gingrich.

Great comment on the Operation: Mindcrime--
there truly is need for a revolution.

[conformer]

Like MC Frontalot said: "I wish we had elections every day."

=]'

[B]

Honestly Wil, politics is a sham.. a bogus method to make the poor/unfortunates of our country believe that we have control. Just look at the ad campaigns, so much more like a finger pointing contest.. "he did this.." "We did this..".

The time when you could honestly believe you had an impact has long since passed. Sure your vote counts, to the companies whose money lines the pockets of the representative you vote for. Pessimism is my chosen medium, but given that almost no voter truly knows the interests of the candidate they vote for. Feel free to disagree, but a nation who hasn't really addressed 1) oil dependency, 2) pollution.. seriously even given crazy oil prices (cha ching) and penalization of the companies polluting (cha ching).. realize that the final ching.. is the coin falling into the guy/gal who voted to allow such things, and it wasn't you or I.

[Lon Seidman]

Hey there Will,

Long time reader, first time commenter.

I'd say this: After eight years of the most incompetent leadership this nation has seen in a very long time, I for one welcome a longer period of time to conduct the necessary due diligence for our next commander in chief..